La pureza del campamento
1El Señor dijo a Moisés: 2«Ordénales a los israelitas que expulsen del campamento a cualquiera que tenga una infección en la piel, o padezca de un flujo inusual, o haya quedado ritualmente impuro por haber tocado un cadáver. 3Ya sea que se trate de hombres o de mujeres, los expulsarás del campamento para que no contaminen el lugar donde habito en medio de mi pueblo». 4Y los israelitas los expulsaron del campamento, tal como el Señor se lo había mandado a Moisés.
Restitución por daños
5El Señor ordenó a Moisés 6que dijera a los israelitas: «El hombre o la mujer que peque contra su prójimo traiciona al Señor y tendrá que responder por ello. 7Deberá confesar su pecado y pagarle a la persona perjudicada una compensación por el daño causado, con un recargo del veinte por ciento. 8Pero si la persona perjudicada no tiene ningún pariente, la compensación será para el Señor y se la entregará al sacerdote junto con el carnero, para que este pida perdón por el pecado del culpable. 9Toda contribución que los israelitas consagren para dársela al sacerdote será del sacerdote. 10Lo que cada uno consagra es suyo, pero lo que se da al sacerdote es del sacerdote».
Ley sobre los celos
11El Señor ordenó a Moisés 12que dijera a los israelitas: «Supongamos que una mujer se desvía y es infiel a su esposo 13acostándose con otro; supongamos también que el asunto se mantiene oculto, ya que ella pecó en secreto y no hubo testigos ni fue sorprendida en el acto. 14Si al esposo le da un ataque de celos y sospecha que ella ha cometido pecado o le da un ataque de celos y sospecha de ella, aunque no haya pecado, 15entonces la llevará ante el sacerdote y ofrecerá por ella la décima parte de un efa5:15 Es decir, aprox. 1.6 kg. de harina de cebada. No derramará aceite sobre la ofrenda ni le pondrá incienso, puesto que se trata de una ofrenda por causa de celos, una ofrenda memorial de cereal para señalar un pecado.
16»El sacerdote llevará a la mujer ante el Señor, 17pondrá agua sagrada en un recipiente de barro y le echará un poco de polvo del suelo del santuario. 18Luego llevará a la mujer ante el Señor, le soltará el cabello y pondrá en sus manos la ofrenda memorial por los celos, mientras él sostiene la vasija con las aguas amargas de la maldición. 19Entonces el sacerdote pondrá a la mujer bajo juramento y le dirá: “Si estando bajo la potestad de tu esposo no te has acostado con otro hombre ni te has desviado hacia la impureza, estas aguas amargas de la maldición no te dañarán. 20Pero si estando bajo la potestad de tu esposo te has desviado y te has vuelto impura al tener relaciones sexuales con otro hombre 21—aquí el sacerdote pondrá a la mujer bajo esta maldición—, que el Señor te haga objeto de maldición en medio de tu pueblo, que te haga estéril y que el vientre se te hinche. 22Cuando estas aguas de la maldición entren en tu cuerpo, que te hinchen el vientre y te hagan estéril”.
»Y la mujer responderá: “¡Amén! ¡Que así sea!”.
23»El sacerdote escribirá estas maldiciones en un documento, que lavará con las aguas amargas. 24Después hará que la mujer se beba las aguas amargas de la maldición, que entrarán en ella para causarle amargura. 25El sacerdote recibirá de ella la ofrenda por los celos. Procederá a mecer ante el Señor la ofrenda de cereal, la cual presentará sobre el altar; 26tomará de la ofrenda un puñado de cereal como memorial y lo quemará en el altar. Después hará que la mujer se beba las aguas. 27Cuando ella se haya bebido las aguas de la maldición y estas entren en ella para causarle amargura, si fue infiel a su esposo y cometió pecado, se le hinchará el vientre y quedará estéril. Así esa mujer caerá bajo maldición en medio de su pueblo. 28Pero si no cometió pecado, sino que se mantuvo pura, entonces no sufrirá daño alguno y será fértil.
29»Esta es la ley en cuanto a los celos, cuando se dé el caso de que una mujer, estando bajo la potestad de su esposo, se desvíe del buen camino y se vuelva impura por cometer pecado 30o cuando al esposo le dé un ataque de celos y sospeche de su esposa. El sacerdote llevará a la mujer a la presencia del Señor y le aplicará esta ley al pie de la letra. 31El esposo quedará exento de culpa, pero la mujer sufrirá las consecuencias de su pecado».
Making the Camp Pure
1The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, 2“Tell the Israelites that certain people must be sent away from the camp. Command them to send away anyone who has a skin disease. They must send away all those who have liquid waste coming from their bodies. And they must send away those who are ‘unclean’ because they have touched a dead body. 3That applies to men and women alike. Send them out of the camp. They must not make their camp ‘unclean.’ That is where I live among them.” 4So the Israelites did what the Lord commanded. They sent out of the camp those who were “unclean.” They did just as the Lord had directed Moses.
Sins Against Others Must Be Paid For
5The Lord said to Moses, 6“Speak to the Israelites. Say to them, ‘Suppose a man or woman does something wrong to someone else. Then that person is not being faithful to the Lord. People like that are guilty. 7They must admit they have committed a sin. They must pay in full for what they did wrong. And they must add a fifth of the value to it. Then they must give all of it to the person they have sinned against. 8But suppose that person has died. And suppose that person does not have a close relative who can be paid for the sin that was committed. Then what is paid belongs to the Lord. It must be given to the priest. A ram must be given along with it. The ram must be sacrificed to the Lord to pay for the sin. 9All the sacred gifts the Israelites bring to a priest will belong to him. 10Sacred gifts belong to their owners. But what they give to the priest will belong to the priest.’ ”
The Test for an Unfaithful Wife
11Then the Lord spoke to Moses again. He said, 12“Speak to the Israelites. Say to them, ‘Suppose a man’s wife goes astray. And suppose she is not faithful to her husband. 13Suppose another man has sex with her. And suppose this is hidden from her husband. No one knows she is not “clean.” So there is no witness against her. And she has not been caught in the act. 14Suppose her husband becomes jealous. He does not trust his wife, and she is really “unclean.” Or suppose he does not trust her even though she is “clean.” 15Then he must take his wife to the priest. He must also bring an offering. It must be eight cups of barley flour. The offering is for his wife. He must not pour olive oil on it. And he must not put incense on it. It is a grain offering for being jealous. It calls attention to the wrong thing a person has done.
16“ ‘The priest must have her stand in front of the Lord. 17He must pour some holy water into a clay jar. He must get some dust from the floor of the holy tent. And he must put it into the water. 18The priest must have the woman stand in front of the Lord. Then he must untie her hair. He must place in her hands the offering that calls attention to the wrong thing a person has done. It is the grain offering for being jealous. The priest must keep the bitter water with him. It is the water that brings a curse. 19Then the priest must have the woman give her word. He must say to her, “Suppose no other man has had sex with you. And suppose you haven’t gone astray. You have kept yourself pure while you are married to your husband. Then may the bitter water that brings a curse not harm you. 20But suppose you have gone astray while you are married to your husband. You have made yourself ‘unclean.’ You have had sex with a man who isn’t your husband.” 21At that point the priest must put the woman under the curse that will come if she breaks her word. He must say, “May the Lord cause you to become a curse among your people. You will become a curse when the Lord makes your body unable to have children. 22May this water that brings a curse enter your body. May it make your body unable to have children.”
“ ‘Then the woman must say, “Amen. Let it happen.”
23“ ‘The priest must write the curses on a scroll. He must wash them off in the bitter water. 24It is the water he will make the woman drink. It is bitter water that brings a curse. It will enter her body. And it will cause her to suffer bitterly. 25The priest must take from her hands the grain offering for being jealous. He must lift it up and wave it in front of the Lord. He must bring it to the altar. 26Then the priest must take a handful of the grain offering. It is the offering that calls attention to the wrong thing a person has done. The priest must burn it on the altar. After that, he must have the woman drink the water. 27Suppose she has made herself “unclean.” She has not been faithful to her husband. And she has drunk the water that brings a curse. Then it will go into her body. It will cause her to suffer bitterly. It will make her body unable to have children. She will become a curse. 28Suppose the woman has not made herself “unclean.” But suppose she is “clean.” Then she will be free of guilt. And she will be able to have children.
29“ ‘This is the law about being jealous. It applies to a woman who has gone astray. She has made herself “unclean” while she is married to her husband. 30And it applies to a man who becomes jealous. He has doubts about his wife. The priest must have her stand in front of the Lord. He must apply the entire law to her. 31The husband will not be guilty of doing anything wrong. But the woman will be punished for her sin.’ ”
